FDA steps up testing for fungicide in orange juice

The Food and Drug Administration says it will step up testing for a fungicide that has been found in low levels in orange juice.

The agency said in a letter to the juice industry Monday that an unnamed juice company contacted the FDA in late December and said it had detected low levels of carbendazim, a fungicide, in the company's own orange juice and also its competitors' juice. Carbendazim is not currently approved for use in the United States, but is used in Brazil, which exports orange juice to the United States.

There are no safety concerns at the levels detected, the FDA said, and the agency has no plans to pull orange juice off store shelves. FDA officials said testing will determine if levels are higher than previously thought.